Extra-Ordinary Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Or not. Sometimes the hype and the anticipation of the season makes the hardness of it that much harder too. There are so many things I love about this time of year- lights, music, finding gifts for those I love, the wonder of the story of the birth of Christ. My Savior. God becoming flesh.

But the clash of the disappointing, frustrating and overwhelming parts of this season often overshadow. The crowds, lines, spending and more spending, extended family drama, unmet expectations, overcrowded schedules or the feelings of loneliness as everyone hustles about and you are not.

I find myself living in tension this season. Getting up early to read my Advent devotion, only to be interrupted by two little children who can’t seem to share the ENTIRE couch. And it’s not even 6am. Appliances breaking just in time to host family at Christmas. Parking lots, long lines and working hard to stay on the budget while shopping for gifts for under the tree.  Work parties, school parties, church gatherings. Or lonely days while others seem to be off to holiday fun and I am doing the same tasks I did in November and will do in April; laundry, cleaning, bills and groceries.

And I wonder about that little town of Bethlehem. So small and ordinary. With nothing to make the world take notice. Worn out travelers, merchants, animals, families, shepherds, carpenters, mamas and daddies. Going about their tasks, their everyday normal when SPLENDOR broke through. Not loud or demanding. Not with glitter and fanfare. But a tired, traveled and worn young girl, her new husband, a stable, and the SON of God.

 

Can you imagine? Can you relate?

Something extra-ordinary from the ordinary. A small town, a young girl, a silent night.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I have to admit I’m having to reset my mind more than I hoped for this season. I have to check my heart and realign it more times than I’d like. The real truth my heart needs this year more than any other is that Jesus entered the everyday. The ordinary. The good news was spoken (by angels no less) to the least, the hard working, the smelly shepherds working the fields. The Messiah came to a stable, a leftover place, a not prepared space for this new born King. God came. 

And in a way nothing changed. And yet EVERYTHING changed.

Mary was still a young, tired, worn out traveler with a new husband and a baby to care for. The shepherds went back to their fields. The next morning, as the little town of Bethlehem awoke, merchants, and mamas and daddies all did what they always did. 

Nothing was different- but everything was.

I don’t know what today looks like in your heart. If you are merry and bright or if the weight of the season, of loved ones lost, or simply the demands of the Christmas countdown are closing in. Can you and I take a minute to close our eyes and picture that moment when LOVE came in the form of a baby? It was so ordinary. And so extraordinary! May you seek a settling of your heart today. To know that God is near in the everyday moments. 

And even though it’s just another day, with more things to do than time to do it. Something is different. Everything changed. God came near at Christmas.

It’s a small decision, but a decision none the less.

I have decided to stop saying that “next week will be better.” Not “better” as in- this week is bad. Just “better” in that I will have more time, things will be less stressful, we will have fewer commitments and overall life will throw us fewer surprises than the current week.

I have decided to own up to the current reality that “next week” never comes.  Because there is always a “next week.” ...to read more click here!

It surprised me how long it took. Not too long ago, we had cement poured to extend our driveway. The first day the crew put the forms together to create the boundary for the cement. The following morning, a cement truck pulled up and began pouring the cement into the designated areas. Just a short while later, the cement was poured and the truck was gone. I thought the rest of the crew would be leaving soon, and we would just have to wait for the cement to dry.

Boy, was I wrong. The next 6 to 8 hours the workers used tools to continue to level off the cement as it dried to ensure it settled properly. Occasionally they would hose it down with water to keep it moist and continue to use the levels to make sure the surface was smooth. It was a tedious job. A long tedious job.

This process and the unexpected time it took after the cement was poured reminded me about my spiritual journey. I’m often surprised at the time and effort that’s required to continue to walk with Jesus after my initial decision to do so. I unknowingly expect things to go more quickly, with less resistance, or to come more easily (like being patient or kind) because I’m already a child of God.

Continue reading!

Your love NEVER fails!

Just a couple of weeks ago my family enjoyed a concert on the lawn of a local Christian college.  Being outdoors our kids enjoyed the music while also enjoying the freedom to run around in the grass.  If you were there and your worship experience was dampened by said children playing tag around you and using their “outside” voice, then I apologize right now. I’m quite certain my family is to blame.


You see, having 5 children between the ages of 2-12 we were fairly limited in the activities we could do during our Christmas break that would make everyone mostly happy, and would be affordable. Finding an outdoor Christian concert was a big YES, so we bundled up and took on the adventure. Click here to read more.